Did you know that it is ILLEGAL to hire (or work) any kid younger than 17. It’s a federal law!
The only exception is a family business utilizing immediate family children...and the feds are already addressing that issue with the family farm labor act we have recently learned about.
Back in my day only well-to-do children were not expected to work until they graduated from college and went to their first “attempt” to work at the age 22 or better.
What a shame and the impact is clearly shown on the current pool of prospective “work ethic challenged” people out there.
I start working in a grocery store sacking groceries at 9 years old. Never stopped working since then. I have owned my own business since 1979 and credit the ability to do so by working as a child.
Under the FLSA, a youth 18 years or older may perform any job for unlimited hours.
An employee who is 16 or 17 years old also may work for unlimited hours but only at nonhazardous jobs (see descriptions below).
But if you hire a 14 or 15 year old, get ready to carefully monitor the youth’s job duties and hours.
At this age, employees are not allowed to work in the manufacturing or mining industries. For other employment sectors, they are restricted to nonhazardous jobs. And their hours also are more limited than those of their slightly older coworkers
http://www.nfib.com/business-resources/business-resources-item?cmsid=34050
All three of mine worked at 15 and 16. They wanted “stuff” they worked